


the dreaded & inevitable genderswitch fic

by velvetgunfire



Category: w-inds. (Band)
Genre: AU, Genderswitch, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-04-08
Updated: 2007-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-28 02:37:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14439663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velvetgunfire/pseuds/velvetgunfire
Summary: "Shouldn't this wear off, or something? Like a magic potion or a spell, in those fairytales ... "





	the dreaded & inevitable genderswitch fic

The first thing Ryohei hears when he gets in to work that Monday morning is Keita's scream, sounding shriller than usual, and so he rushes into the dressing room to see what's the matter.  
  
Ryuichi's hunched in a chair, hugging his legs drawn to his chest, and he looks miserable -- but also different somehow, and his long hair is a dishevelled mess framing his face.  
  
Keita's hands are clapped over his mouth, eyes wide and round, and he staggers back shakily to plop down on the sofa to his back.  
  
"Can't you be a little calmer about this?" Ryuichi scowls, a furious blush high on his cheeks, "It's not like  _you're_  the girl."  
  
And there's something  _off_  with his voice too, but he's modulating it so well it's hard to tell -- all those voice lessons have really paid off.  
  
"What's the matter?"  
  
Keita jumps up and runs to Ryohei, pointing a shaking finger at Ryuichi. "He ... she ... "  
  
"Shut  _up_ ," Ryuichi says, the emotion getting to him and making him lose control of his voice, so it goes up an octave, and he unfolds himself, stepping out of the chair and then pulling open his jacket -- Keita immediately scurries over and bundles him up in it again, but not before Ryohei has seen what's there, since Ryuichi's not wearing anything underneath.   
  
Ryuichi really does make a beautiful girl, his eyes large and liquid, and his face is more fine-boned somehow, but it's still  _Ryuichi_.  
  
As for his body, that isn't something they want to dwell on just yet.  
  
* * *  
  
"I woke up this morning and I was ... like that," Ryuichi says glumly, waving a hand to indicate his body, once they've all settled into the sort of artificial calm that allows one to deal with recently induced intense trauma.  
  
His voice is sliding slightly about the scale, since he hasn't gotten used to the range of a female voice yet, and keeps straining the lower register of it because it's what he expects himself to sound like.   
  
"It must've been the skirt," Keita says thoughtfully, propping his chin up on his hand, eyes sliding sideways towards Ryuichi, "I told you it was a mistake to wear it."  
  
"It was a  _kilt_ ," Ryuichi says murderously, sounding dangerously close to breaking, and Ryohei intervenes before Ryuichi and the sharp objects on the table can give Keita a voice that matches his, too.  
  
* * *  
  
Their manager takes it surprisingly well.   
  
"A pity Ryohei isn't a girl too," he muses, "then it'd all balance out," as Keita and Ryohei and Ryuichi stare at him bug-eyed in disbelief.  
  
Their dance instructor doesn't take it too well, since Ryuichi obviously doesn't have the upper body strength to pull off moves at his former level, nor the power that he used to have, and a frustrating time is had by all at dance practice.  
  
"Faster, faster," he yells at them, especially Ryuichi, and Ryuichi's sweating, hair plastered to his face and t-shirt outlining his curves, clumsy and unused to his new limbs, and Ryohei looks up to catch Keita staring at Ryuichi. Staring hard.  
  
Their dancers aren't at all perturbed by Ryuichi's change, of course, for reasons Ryohei thinks he knows.  
  
Then the day is over, and they're showered and beat and ready to be driven and dropped off at each of their respective apartments, and Ryuichi's sprawled carelessly on the floor, reading a manga while waiting for Keita, the last one out of the shower. His shirt dips wide at the collar, giving a clear view of his chest, and Ryohei fidgets, but who is he to say anything, who is he to treat Ryuichi any differently?  
  
Keita comes out of the shower, water still beading on his hair, and then he stops and stares at Ryuichi lying on the floor, as if he's just thought of something. "So, are we still going to call you Ryuichi? Shouldn't it be, um, Ryuko, or something?"  
  
And Ryuichi lunges for Keita with a shriek and Ryohei intercepts him, this Ryuichi much easier to overpower than before, and they struggle for a minute before Ryuichi abruptly claps hands over his face and bursts into tears.  
  
Ryuichi is pliant in his arms, and soft, the sweet curves of a girl, and Ryohei tries not to think about how his arm fits perfectly about the cinch of Ryuichi's waist as Ryuichi cries into his shoulder, and so he grits his teeth and glares at Keita, who is standing there shock-still with a mortified flush on his face.  
  
* * *  
  
Ryuichi comes in the next day, surprisingly, with a swing in his step. It looks like he's done some exploring of his new body, and the jut of his hip isn't as awkward now -- in fact, it's rather sensual.   
  
He's dressed in a fitted sleeveless shirt and sweatpants, and they look like his sister's.  
  
"It ... looks good on you," Ryohei ventures, trying for a smile to get Ryuichi to return it, and Ryuichi smiles at him wanly. "Hey, if you've got it, flaunt it," he says, and there's something of playful Ryuichi in there, a glimmer of it.  
  
Rehearsal goes slighly better than the preceeding day, and Keita actually doesn't say anything stupid for once, which is of course a tremendous help.  
  
"That's it! Break time! Everyone be back in 15!"  
  
Ryuichi flops down on the floor, belly-up, and Ryohei gets bottled water for all three of them, sprawled in the corner of the studio.  
  
"I don't know how we're ever going to explain it to the fans," Keita says, and Ryuichi's too tired to snap, so he just laughs instead, sweet and clear. "Ryuichi's long-lost twin sister ... "  
  
Ryohei finds himself laughing, too, and he puts out a hand to josh Ryuichi, the way they usually thump each other in the chest and grab each other carelessly, but then his hand stills awkwardly inches from Ryuichi, and drops back to his side. Fortunately Ryuichi hasn't noticed, so he carries on, spinning his tale.  
  
Ryohei misses it, being able to touch him casually.  
  
* * *  
  
"Shouldn't this wear off, or something? Like a magic potion or a spell, in those fairytales ... "  
  
"I dunno," Ryohei says, frowning hard as the thoughts exhaust themselves in his mind, "Ryuichi --"  
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"Was anything -- out of the ordinary -- the night before this happened?"  
  
"Um," Ryuichi says, "I wished ... " And he's not a very good liar, because Ryohei sees his eyes drift to Keita, who is standing on the far side of the room, before his gaze darts back to Ryohei.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I wish I knew," Ryuichi finishes quickly, then sighs and flops down cross-legged on the floor, drawing idle patterns on the wood with a finger. "If only it would go away, turn back, I dunno."  
  
"Everything will be fine in the end," Ryohei says, trying to inject reassurance into his voice, and he clasps Ryuichi's shoulder, watching as Ryuichi smiles up at him. Ryuichi's always been reassured by him, some unspoken thing between them both, but this Ryuichi's shoulder feels fragile-boned under his palm, and the protective streak rises in him so much more vehemently this time that he's startled by himself.  
  
Or maybe Ryuichi's always been fragile, just that his solitary bent has disguised it so much Ryohei couldn't see it.  
  
* * *  
  
"Keita, what do you think of Ryuichi now?"  
  
"I don't know," Keita says wearily, running hands through his sweaty hair, and then frowns.  
  
"What?"  
  
"He's -- she's -- Ryuichi's," Keita coughs, "gorgeous, but ... "  
  
Keita's voice trails off, then he finishes, "but I want him back."  
  
"Have you told him that?"  
  
"What, that s-he's gorgeous?" Keita's eyes are dinner-plate-round and incredulous, voice pitching up, "Ryuichi'll  _kill_  me!"  
  
"No, no," Ryohei hastens to explain, "the -- that you want him back."  
  
"Of course I want him back." Keita looks forlorn now, and Ryohei is tempted to commiserate with him, but bites his tongue, concentrating on his plan of action.  
  
"But Ryuichi really doesn't look all that different."  
  
The sharp, sudden flush high on Keita's cheekbones is all the answer Ryohei needs.  
  
* * *  
  
Ryuichi is staring glumly at the wall, sprawled out on his front on Ryohei's sofa, and Keita is sitting on the floor by his head.   
  
Ryohei just watches them both, taking a sip of his juice before polishing off his dinner.  
  
"What happens if I don't turn back?" Ryuichi asks, suddenly, breaking the silence, and there's a hint of dread trembling in his voice, it's the question all of them have been waiting to ask, but never do.  
  
Keita looks up just as Ryohei's about to open his mouth to say something reassuring, and Ryohei falls silent, waiting.  
  
"You will," Keita says, and there's something in his voice that hasn't been there before, something strong and sure. Then he sighs, and covers Ryuichi's hand with his. "I miss you."  
  
"I'm right here," Ryuichi says, and his voice is shaking.   
  
"I know," Keita says, and then sighs again, "it just makes it worse."   
  
Ryohei watches as Ryuichi's quaking hands flutter about Keita's shoulders before settling, Ryuichi giving him an awkward hug that Keita returns, both of them being so careful not to touch each other, and sighs.  
  
* * *  
  
That Friday, Ryuichi walks into work, his footsteps slow and deliberate, and Ryohei looks up, and Ryuichi spins around before Ryohei, unable to restrain his elated laughter any more.  
  
"Ryuichi! You turned back!" Ryohei yells, and they spin around dizzily, hugging each other and twirling about in delirious excitement.  
  
Ryuichi just laughs, eyes sparkling.   
  
Then Ryohei decides he just  _has_  to know. "So, what happened to your wish?"  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ryuichi says, shifty-eyed, and then grins.  
  
"Where's Keita? He should be here to celebrate!"  
  
"Oh," Ryuichi says, off-handedly, "he insisted on coming over when I turned back last night." And then Ryuichi coughs, blushing, "I think he's worn out, he's still asleep."  
  
And Ryohei just smiles, because sometimes, fairytales do have happy endings after all.  
  
* * *


End file.
